Category: life curation

life curation · travel

An Abbreviated Travel Itinerary

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Happy Thursday, beloveds! I’m enjoying my first full day in Raleigh, NC and, if all goes well, I’ll have a special treat for you all in the next few days. I thought I’d share with you all some of the basic things I consider when planning my travel. I hope it helps you to plan your perfect trip!

checklist

Make a list, check it twice

  • Visit to at least one museum
  • Dine at one of the finest restaurants in the area
  • Dine at a “local favorite” (a restaurant most highly recommended by people living in town)
  • Spend time in a park, at a river or on a trail in the city I’m visiting
  • Shop at a local thrift store
  • View the local monuments and the downtown area
  • Visit a local bookstore

Whenever I plan a trip, I try to include as many of these things as possible. For me, these things comprise an ideal trip: shopping, dining, sightseeing, books, and some time in nature. Every now and then, I can incorporate two or more of these things in one outing (for instance, a visit to a park in the downtown area that’s located a block or two away from the “local favorite” restaurant).

One item that I didn’t list on this sample itinerary that I *hope* you all will include is REST. I can’t begin to describe how hard it is to do all of the fun stuff you’ve planned when you’re exhausted. So make sure that SLEEP is part of your plans, as well!

That’s it for my mini-itinerary. Enjoy your Friday, and I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!

 

 

 

life curation

It’s My Birthday!!!

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My friends, I’ve completed another revolution around the sun! It feels so good to be happy, whole and inspired as I enter this new chapter of my life.

birthday

Feeling lucky!

I’m keeping this extra brief, as I’m currently en route to my mini-vacay out of town. I just want to take a moment to thank you all for spending so many days with me, reading my posts, commenting, sharing my posts, and giving all sort of positive vibrations. I’ve loved every minute of this journey, and I’m excited to enter this new year of my life with you all.

Take care, and talk to you all tomorrow!

life curation

More About My Finished Book . . .

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Happy Tuesday, friends! Today’s post is going to be a light one, because I’m preparing for my trip out of town and I’m taking care of a few open items that need my attention before I get away for a few days . . .

typewriter

Thankful that I don’t have to type on one of these beauties . . .

Anyhoo, I just wanted to give you updates on my finished book. I gave it to a few friends for feedback, and they’ve spoken. They love it! I’m so excited, because I need that vote of confidence before I move forward. I trust that they will tell me if there are any topics that need to be discussed further or if there were any incomplete thoughts or unclear ideas. They all confirmed that the book was complete, well-written and immediately actionable.

The SIGH of relief that I felt when I got their feedback was tremendous! I’m eager to get a little more feedback before publishing, but at this point, I’m really happy that it’s being well-received. Every bit of feedback brings me closer to making the book available to the public, so this has been a great experience.

life curation · travel

Planning My Birthday Getaway

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Happy Friday, friends! I’m just a few weeks away from my birthday and I’m in the middle of planning my birthday getaway. I’m so excited – it’s been a couple of months since I got away for a bit. This year, I’m going to Raleigh and I fully intend to have a grand experience: lots of great restaurants, sightseeing, and fun with friends.

roadtrip

Time for another mini road trip!

It’s been a while since I’ve spent some days in Raleigh, so I’m looking forward to returning. I usually go to Charlotte when heading to North Carolina, so Raleigh will be a nice change of pace. My only regret is that I won’t be staying at one of my favorite hotels: sadly, they were booked solid when I tried to make a reservation. But at least I’ll be trying a hotel that I’ve never visited before, and (of course) I’ll review it for you all. I’ll also be reviewing the art museums, restaurants and other attractions that I visit.

I’m winding down after an insanely busy week, so I’m keeping this one brief. Anyhoo, I’m writing my review of last month’s book selection this weekend, so look out for that. Otherwise, enjoy your Friday, and I’ll talk to you all soon!

art · life curation

Why Technology Will Be a Game Changer for the Art World

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Hey everyone! As you all know, I try to keep my “finger” on the “pulse” of the art world, because it’s an arena that I find tremendously fascinating. You all also know (after reading my most recent goals post) that I intend to eventually transition into an art career. However, one main reason why I’m hesitant to fully leap into the art world is because I want to make sure that I have a lucrative position within the art world, not just a creative one. I figured that the intersection between art and technology would be a good place for me to start.

tech

It’s funny – I started the draft for this post several weeks ago, but, as with most of my writing, I find that there are other people who are on the same wavelength. As it turns out, Sotheby’s Institute of Art will be incorporate lectures around art and technology into its Masters Degree program.

In my opinion, we’re going to see a surge of technological advances used in unexpected ways. These advances will be critical to preserving cultural institutions and traditions, the liberal arts, and, of course, fine art. At the most obvious level, creativity will be needed to create technology that is both effective and desired. On a deeper level, the technology will be used in unprecedented ways, to preserve cultural heritage and create a new heritage of its own.

I’m revising my goals list to incorporate what I suspect will be the leading edge of the art world. I’ll continue to clarify my vision for my future art career, and I’ll share that vision in my next goals update post.

Thanks for reading my musings, friends! I’ll talk to you all tomorrow.

life curation

My Book is Done!!!

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I finally finished my first book!!! This is the how-to book that I’d been revising for some time, and there was just a little work left to be done on it. If you all recall in my most recent Goals Update post,  I had to complete the supplemental/resource material section of the how-to book, and then the text would be pretty much done. I had done the bulk of the work a while ago (as in, over three years ago) but I had been dragging my feet when it came to finishing it.

book

However, a few weeks ago, a friend expressed interest in the book, and just a few days ago, a different friend brought up a topic that confirmed the need for this book. So, after getting those very CLEAR signs that it was time to finish, I spent a little time pounding out the last few pages, and then I whipped up a cover using some copyright-free images. I converted everything to PDF and sent it out for my friends to read.

Sure, this book still needs the critical eye of a professional editor, as well as some spectacular cover art that doesn’t involve my rudimentary photo editing skills. I want it to be GREAT before I offer it on this blog or anywhere else. But that’s neither here nor there, because the book is DONE. My book is DONE, DONE, DONE! I’m so excited that I’m ready to get to work on the next one!

culture · international · life curation

My Cultures and Identities Course is Completed!

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I finished my Cultures and Identities in Europe course a few days ago, and I’m excited to share what I learned with you all. I’ll discuss what I enjoyed about the platform, FutureLearn, then I’ll dive into the course specific details and my take on what was offered in this class.

europe3

For starters, I’d never completed a course through FutureLearn before. I was familiar with the website but never did any of the classes, so this was a first for me. I was really impressed with the structure and content of the course that I completed. This was well-suited to online learners: an appropriate mix of video and written content that thoroughly cover the subject matter while keeping the students engaged. I also loved how easy it was to access the course and complete the modules according to my schedule.

The course, as outlined, takes about 3 weeks to complete. However, additional time is allowed, so if you miss a few days of study, you can easily go back and make up those sessions. The program has transcripts and closed captioning for impaired students. I was impressed with the amount of care that went into producing this free resource. However, if students are interested in access this course indefinitely, or obtaining a certificate of achievement, FutureLearn charges a fee (currently $59) for lifetime access.

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Now that the general information is out of the way, let’s talk about the class. The class is broken down into 3 general sections: European Identities, European Memory and Heritage, and European Creativity. Each section delves into the history of the topic, the current state of the topic, as well as the politics that have influenced each of these areas.

The course defines Europe, European identity as well as European culture, then it explores all of the factors that have previously and currently have defined these concepts. I really loved learning about how Europe has created policy to embrace diversity as well as how Europe intends to approach cultural and creative programs outside of the economic perspective.

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I really enjoyed this course and, while I don’t plan to purchase lifetime access, I can easily see myself signing up for this again in the future, just as a refresher. There was a lot of good information in this course – I’m glad I signed up and completed it!

 

life curation

My Top 5 LOA Podcasts

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Happy Tuesday friends! As we move through this holiday week, I wanted to share some of the “mental food” that I’ll be enjoying on the holiday.

Yes, tomorrow is the Fourth of July and I will be off from work and relaxing a bit. During my “down” time, I enjoy listening to podcasts that amp up my belief in all of the possibilities that life has to offer. I love learning more about the law of attraction (LOA) and how I can use these tools to create the life of my dreams. With that being said, I want to share the podcasts that I have enjoyed most as I have traveled on this consciousness journey.

headphone

Headphones on, in my own world

I have talked about this podcast before, and I’ll say it again: Jeannette’s podcast is simply one of the best. Funny, honest, practical and effective – it’s always my go-to when I want a boost. Jeannette has great examples of manifesting success as well as lots of practicable tips and advice that even a novice “manifestor” can use with ease.

Cassie Parks (I reviewed her book a few months back – I love her work!) and Ginny Gane have this weekly show that explores all sorts of topics related to LOA. They are a charming, enjoyable duo that does a great job of explaining different LOA principles and give solid advice on how to leverage LOA for creating a fantastic life.

I started listening to Unity Radio years ago, and one of the hosts that I’ve really enjoyed as of late is Rae Zander’s Everyday Attraction. Her podcast discusses Abraham-Hicks teachings in depth, using snippets of different Abraham workshops to launch the conversations. I love hearing her take on Abraham’s thoughts.

Jewels is the CEO of the Law of Attraction radio station. Her vision brought us countless new thought leaders and a multitude of perspectives regarding this era of consciousness. Jewels interviews a variety of metaphysical experts and attempts to reconcile the spiritual with scientific research. Her guests are great at providing insight and advice on leading a well-lived life. Jewels herself is a joy to listen to, and I love hearing her excitement over the topics that she discusses.

Constance’s podcast is one of the shows featured on Law of Attraction radio station. Her show focuses on blending metaphysical principles, consciousness, and spirituality. Her gentle voice and sweet demeanor are part of her signature style of kind-but-firm advice. Her show is a great alternative for those that want a clearly-Christian perspective on metaphysical and consciousness principles.

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Do you all have any LOA podcasts that you enjoy? Please let me know all about them in the comments below!

life curation

July & August Activity Planning – DONE!

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Hi friends! I hope you all are enjoying your Sunday, and staying COOL! Personally, I’m enjoying the fact that I don’t have to go outside into the Virginia heat! I love summers in the South but I also love being able to retreat from the heat when I want to.

I just finished writing out my plans for July and August. It’s important that I am crystal clear about what I want to do and when I want to do it: if I’m not focused, I lose track of my time and find that nothing (or almost nothing) gets accomplished.

calendar

Here’s the short list of my July and August plans. These plans are in support of my goals (short term and long term)  as well as give me interesting things to talk about on this blog.

July:

August

  • Celebrate my birthday in grand style
  • Attend an embassy event
  • Visit a museum I’ve never gone to before
  • Select courses to take in the fall
  • Have some amazing giveaways on this blog (in honor of the blog’s 1 year anniversary)

I’m looking forward to having a lot of fun this summer, and I’m especially looking forward to sharing those experiences with you all! Well, it’s time for me to go ahead and finish my meal prepping for the week, so I’ll talk to you all soon!

life curation

Tomorrow Isn’t Promised

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Hello beloveds! I have had a busy week, and I am glad to see it come to a close.

Sadly, I will be attending two funerals this weekend. One of my dear friends lost her mother to cancer, and I lost one of my uncles to kidney disease.  My uncle’s death, in particular, had quite the impact on me, as I lost my beloved stepfather to kidney disease several years ago.

I’m keeping this brief, because I don’t want to weaken the message with too many words. Tell your loved ones how much they mean to you – hug them, spend time with them, laugh with them, create as many memories as you can. Tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us.

hug

Rest in peace, Uncle Richard and Mama Shirley. I’m sending love to everyone one of you reading this, on behalf of my dear departed ones. May you have lots of love and cherish every moment with the ones that you love.